How to scan a QR code

The code below opens example.com, a web address reserved for examples, so it's a safe one to practise on.

Scan a QR code on iPhone

Apple's guide gives two ways, both built in:

1. Camera: open Camera, stay in Photo mode and hold the iPhone so the code sits inside the frame. Tap the link that appears at the bottom of the screen.
2. Control Center: open Control Center and tap Scan Code. If it isn't there, add the control first (Apple calls this customising controls). Point the iPhone at the code.

In dim light, tap the torch button in the scanner. On iPhones with a Camera Control button, Apple says you can use that to scan too.

So the best free QR code reader for iPhone is the Camera app you already have. App Store scanner apps do the same job and some show ads or ask for extra permissions.

Scan a QR code on Android

Android phones differ by maker, but one of these works on almost all of them:

1. Camera app: open the camera and point it at the code. Most recent phones show the link at the bottom or top of the screen. Tap it.
2. Google Lens: if your camera ignores the code, open Google Lens (in the Google app, the Google search bar, or as its own app) and point it at the code.
3. Quick settings: some phones have a QR scanner tile in the quick settings panel. Swipe down from the top of the screen and look for it.

If none of these exist on an older phone, a scanner app from Google Play will do it. Pick one from a publisher you know.

Scan a QR code from a screenshot or photo

A screenshot or photo of a QR code holds exactly the same pattern, so it decodes to the same content.

• iPhone: open the picture in Photos. Recent iOS versions also group pictures with QR codes in Collections → Utilities, so you can find them later. If the photo shows a link button, tap it.
• Android: open the picture in Google Lens, or use the Lens button in Google Photos.
• Any phone: show the image on a second screen, such as a laptop, and scan it with your camera.

Whether a screenshot is accepted is another matter. For tickets and boarding passes, the venue or airline decides. If their app says to show the code in the app, do that.

When a QR code won't scan

Most failures come from the print or the screen, not the phone:

• Too small or too far. Move closer, or further away if the code fills more than the frame.
• Glare or poor light. Tilt the code or the phone, or turn on the torch.
• Low contrast or inverted colours. Pale codes and light codes on dark backgrounds trip up some camera apps.
• No white space round it. Scanners need a clear border to find the code. Text or a photo touching the edge can stop it.
• Damage. QR codes repair some damage with error correction, but a torn corner square usually stops the scan.

If you made the code yourself, the fix is in the design. Our guides on testing a QR code and the minimum QR code size cover what to check.

Before you tap the link

A QR code is just a way of typing something for you. It can hold any web address, and you can't read it by eye. Your phone shows the address or the action before anything opens, so look at it first:

• Does the web address belong to who you expect? A parking meter code that opens a strange domain is a warning sign.
• Is it asking you to log in or pay? Be as careful as you would with a link in an email.
• A Wi-Fi, call or text code asks before it joins, dials or sends. You still choose.

Make your own code to test with

The generator on this page makes a code as you type. Put in any link, scan it with your phone to check it, and download it as a PNG or SVG. It runs in your browser and the codes don't expire.

Related guides

• How do QR codes work?
• How to share Wi-Fi with a QR code
• Do QR codes expire?